By the authority vested in me as President under the Constitution
and laws of the United States of America and pursuant to the Federal
Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. 3345 et seq., I hereby order
that:

Section 1. Order of Succession.

During any period when the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(Secretary), the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Deputy
Secretary), and the officers designated by Executive Order 13247 of
December 18, 2001, to perform the functions and duties of the office of
Secretary have died, resigned, or otherwise become unable to perform
the functions and duties of the office of Secretary, the following
officers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in the order listed,
shall perform the functions and duties of the office of Secretary, if
they are eligible to act as Secretary under the provisions of the
Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, until such time as at least one
of the officers mentioned above is able to perform the functions and
duties of the office of Secretary:

(a) No individual who is serving in an office listed in section 1
in an acting capacity, by virtue of so serving, shall act as
Secretary pursuant to this memorandum.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this memorandum, the
President retains discretion, to the extent permitted by the
Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. 3345 et seq., to
depart from this memorandum in designating an acting Secretary.
Sec. 3. Publication.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the
Federal Register.